The Sniper (1952)

The Movie

The Sniper is one of the earliest movies portraying a serial killer. Set in mid-century San Francisco, it has great location scenes, many of them in and around the Telegraph Hill neighborhood. Despite the serious subject matter, the portrayal of the inner torment of the killer invokes an element of sympathy from the viewer. Interestingly, considering how much of the city is shown, there is no mention of its name in the dialog, perhaps to mollify those city elders who may not have welcomed the association with the chilling crimes depicted. Director Edward Dmytryk filmed the movie in less than a month between September 24 and October 20,1951 and it was released in the U.S. on May 9,1952.

The Story

A killer is on the loose in the city. Eddie Miller (Arthur Franz) has been abused as a child by his mother; as a result he is left with a major chip on his shoulder with women. His extreme response to a personal slight is to stalk the woman involved and gun her down. The police react in knee-jerk fashion until guided back on track by police psychiatrist Dr. James Kent (Richard Kiley).